US-born journalist Noa Avishag Schnall claims abuse, assault threats during Israeli detention

Noa Avishag Schnall, a US-born photojournalist who was arrested on an aid flotilla headed for Gaza, described that she faced “extreme brutality” including physical assault and threats of rape by Israeli guards.

In a video shared by Drop Site News, a publication that Schnall had been working for, she said, “Our boat was attacked around 5 am, not far from the Suez Canal on Tuesday.

Describing the brutality, she said that the detained passengers went through several strip searches. She claimed, “At least one woman has reported being physically penetrated by guards who laughed at her pain. Others, including myself, endured threats of rape, beatings, and suffocation.”

Many flotilla passengers watched their valuables being robbed by the Israeli guards. She claimed that inmates were handcuffed, blindfolded, and made to lie in stressful positions with zip-ties placed on their arms.

“We were not broken,” she says. “This ceasefire will not end systematic oppression and occupation. Prisons like Sirte, designated for the torture of Palestinians, continue to exist. More than ever, we have to take to the streets. The siege will be broken.”

Many of the deported activists who arrived in Istanbul over the weekend shared similar experiences. Italian regional councillor Paolo Romano claimed, “They forced us to kneel, face down. If we moved, they would hit us,” adding that they were also subjected to physical abuse and insults.